LCWIP · UK public procurement notice

Preliminary Market Engagement (PME): LCWIP

1. Introduction & Project Background

Marlow Town Council (MTC) is developing a Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan (LCWIP) to create a safer, more coherent, and attractive active travel network for walking, cycling and wheeling across Marlow.

MTC is a proactive town council. Crucially, we are not starting from scratch. Over the summer, a dedicated active travel working group and council officers are undertaking hands-on community engagement:

• In-person stalls and interactive engagement at the Marlow Town Regatta and Borlase Summer Fete.
• Targeted outreach and feedback gathered via local school newsletters.
• Usage survey and weekday count on a key east-west alleyway in the town.
• A dedicated public engagement event at the Town Council offices (planned for mid-August).
• Initial discussions with the local business community.

We have obtained valuable raw data, local insights, school travel patterns, and a clear picture of the community's active travel aspirations.

As a parish-tier authority, MTC has a limited budget. We wish to undertake a Preliminary Market Engagement exercise to explore how specialist consultants can partner with us to deliver the remaining technical workstreams of the LCWIP in an efficient, cost-effective, and highly collaborative manner.

2. Scope of Requirements (Proposed Workstreams)

The standard DfT LCWIP technical guidance involves a 6-stage process. MTC is seeking a consultant partner to lead or support the following workstreams, leveraging our existing local data and knowledge to minimise costs:

Workstream 1: Evidence Base Consolidation & GIS Mapping

• Consolidate existing travel data, crash/collision data, and the raw qualitative data collected by MTC during the summer engagement.
• Identify key trip attractors (schools, employment, shopping, leisure, transport hubs).
• Develop a baseline GIS map of Marlow's existing active travel network, highlighting barriers (e.g., river crossings, major junctions, pinch points) and opportunities.

Workstream 2: Cycle & Walking Network Planning (DfT Methodology)

• Drafting of the Cycling Network Plan (identifying key corridors, desire lines, and route categorizations).
• Drafting of the Walking Network Plan (identifying Core Pedestrian Areas and key walking routes).
• Use standard DfT auditing tools-such as the Route Selection Tool (RST) and Pedestrian Comfort Assessment (PCA)-to assess current route quality against LTN 1/20 design standards.

Workstream 3: Prioritised Infrastructure Programme & Draft LCWIP Report

• Develop a high-level, prioritised list of infrastructure schemes (categorized into short-, medium-, and long-term delivery).
• Provide high-level, indicative cost estimates and constructability assessments for priority schemes.
• Synthesize this into a draft, professional Marlow LCWIP Report that can be used to leverage external funding bids (such as from the Buckinghamshire Council, local developers or national active travel funds).

Workstream 4: Formal Public Consultation Support (option)

We are currently considering whether to undertake this stage with local volunteers or led by consultants. Please indicate the typical extra cost of undertaking this work.

• Once drafts and proposals are established, lead and support a structured public consultation consistent with recognised good practice.
• Provide consultation materials, online survey tools, and technical support to analyze public feedback and update the final LCWIP accordingly.

3. Preliminary Market Engagement Questions

We invite interested consultants to respond to the following questions. This feedback will shape our formal procurement strategy and specification.

Experience & Capability

1. Case Studies: Provide brief examples of where you have successfully delivered LCWIPs (or active travel plans) for town/parish councils, smaller urban areas, or with highly constrained budgets.
2. Team: Who would be the core team delivering this, and what is their experience with DfT LCWIP technical guidance and LTN 1/20 infrastructure design?

Value for Money & Methodology

3. Maximizing Local Input: How would you propose to integrate and use the raw engagement data, school travel surveys, and local mapping insights already collected by MTC to reduce your required hours and keep fees down?
4. Phased Approach: Would you recommend delivering this in phases? If so, how would you break down the project to ensure MTC gets maximum value at each step?
5. Cost-Saving Innovation: What innovative techniques, open-source data tools, or collaborative delivery methods (e.g., MTC volunteers conducting simple route audits under your guidance) can you bring to keep costs minimal?

Procurement & Timelines

6. Timeline: Indicatively, what is a realistic timeline to take our summer data, draft the networks, run a formal consultation, and publish the final LCWIP?
7. Budget Framework: Without committing to a hard quote, what is a typical price range for an LCWIP of this scale under a "lean/collaborative" delivery model? Please give a typical price range for:

• Workstreams 1, 2 and 3
• Workstreams 1, 2, 3 and 4

Commercially sensitive information

Suppliers should clearly identify any information they consider commercially sensitive and explain why. Marlow Town Council will treat such information appropriately and consider any applicable exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 if a request for disclosure is received. However, confidentiality cannot be guaranteed where disclosure is required by law.

4. How to Respond

Please submit your response (maximum 4 pages of A4 plus a separate page for price range estimates) addressing the questions in Section 3 to:

[email protected]

Deadline for Submissions: Friday 21st August 2026.

MTC may invite selected respondents to an informal, 30-minute virtual clarification meeting in mid-September to discuss their suggestions further.

Disclaimer: This is a preliminary market engagement exercise. It does not constitute a formal tender or a commitment to award a contract. Participation will not advantage or disadvantage any supplier in any future formal procurement. Any future procurement will be conducted in accordance with the Procurement Act 2023